Key Passage For The Kite Runner

I felt this was a key passage to this chapter because it both introduces a crucial theme in the book which consolidates the feeling of betrayal that will haunt Amir throughout the duration of the story. Prior to this paragraph, Amir and Hassan had won the kite running tournament and Hassan tells Amir that he will run the blue kite for him. Thinking nothing of it, Amir lets him go, however he doesn’t realize the gravity of his decision and how it plays into events that will happen later in the book. After a while, with no sign of Hassan, Amir sets out to look for him. When he does find him, in an alleyway being sexually assaulted by Assef, he understands that he has two options: to stand up for Hassan and face the consequences or run. He chooses
to run not only because he is scared of what the outcome of standing up for Hassan may be, but also because he wants Baba’s approval. If he had stopped the assault from happening, Assef would’ve taken the kite instead and inevitably, Baba wouldn’t have been proud of him. These paragraphs in particular highlight the important theme of betrayal which, in this chapter, tie in with Amir’s betrayal of Hassan.